Heart to Heart
by FrillingFreak
Summary: Inuyasha's been ignoring his own heart for too long and it's hurting both him and Kagome. Now his heart and her heart are taking action and paying the hanyou a visit to force him to face his feelings. INxKAG
1. Heart to Heart

**A/N: I decided to write this story after all the positive response I recieved for my OneShot song fic "Under Inuyasha's Skin." Some people asked for a longer story and so here it is, though it's not going to bethat long, just around four or five chapters. **

**Note:**

Καρδιά** -means "heart." It's greek. I didn't use Japanesse for reason's I'll explain later. I wasn't planning on telling you what it meant until they mention it in the story but I was afraid to many people would get confused and stop reading. But if you do have any questions don't be afraid to ask. I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability as long as it doesn't give part of the story away.**

**Disclaimer- I don't Inuyasha and co. but everything else (the plot, the**Καρδιά**, etc.) all belong to me. Don't steal them!**

**HEART TO HEART**

In a place unknown to mankind there stood a girl with dark ebony hair and beautiful blue eyes. She wore an off the shoulder gown of white satin that accented her curves and flowed gently down to her ankles. She greatly resembled a certain young miko who was in the habit of traveling back and forth through time and juggling demons slaying with homework. In fact she would have been identical to the afore mentioned girl had it not been for two things; the first being on her head, written in rose red letters was the word Καρδιά and the second was that her beautiful body was covered in many cuts and abrasions. Some were small scratches while others were large bleeding wounds, some were old healed wounds, some in the process of healing while others were fresh and looked extremely painful. Standing seemed to pain her but she did not sit. She was standing in a forest of white trees, white grass, and white fog. There were glimpses of others walking through the forest or standing like she was but she paid them no attention. In front of her, in the midst of a thick fog, images flashed before her. They were images of the young miko walking with a group of people through a forest. She smiled up at the white haired hanyou walking beside her and he half smiled back at her. One of the white-gowned girl's wounds began to heal some. She sighed. At this rate she was gaining more wounds faster then they could be healed. If something didn't change soon, she would be completely broken. She shuddered.

"I would have been fine had it not been for him, or that woman, Kikyou." She hissed. "Should have never gone through that blasted well and been broken like this." She stood silently watching for a few more minutes. The young miko tripped over something and would have fallen had it not been for the hanyou who reached out and caught her. The miko blushed and thanked him. The girl in the white forest smiled, her wounds healing faster.

"But then again, I don't think I could live without him." She mused with a soft smile. "If I tried I know I would surely break." She turned away from the images and walked farther into the forest, but even though the images weren't right in front of her, she knew what was going on. She was part of the miko and was therefore perfectly attuned to her emotions. She stopped walking after a few minutes. Many of her smaller wounds were almost completely healed. She sighed, relieved to be rid of some of the pain. But how long would it last time? How long until he would say something hurtful? How long until he ran off to his clay love again? Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of someone approaching. She frowned. They did not interact with one another here except when their human counterparts bonded. She turned to face the sound and await her visitor. As a figure appeared through the fog, she gasped. Never in a million years would she have expected this. It was a man in a pure white kimono with silver white hair, amber eyes, and two dog like ears on the top of his head. He also bore the mark Καρδιά on his forehead.

"I've been looking for you." He said in a quiet whisper. The girl took several steps backward until she ran into a tree.

"You…you…" She began to shake. He looked so much like him, it was hard to breathe. It was then she noticed a large scar that ran down the side of his face. The scar looked very old but there was another, newer, more extensive wound that caught her eyes. It ran from his left shoulder all the way down to his right hip. She could see it faintly through his kimono. His body also had other smaller scratches on it like hers.

"Yes, I am the Καρδιά of Inuyasha." He answered her unspoken question. "And you are the Καρδιά of Kagome am I right?" She nodded.

"But why? You should not be here." She whispered afraid to trust her voice in his presence.

"I was hoping that you are in touch with the girl, Kagome." He took a step forward. There was desperation in his eyes.

"Yes…of course I am. But why?" She asked also stepping forward, drawn like a moth to the flame.

"It has been quite some time since Inuyasha has listened to me." His voice shook. Were those tears in his eyes? "He does not realize what he is doing to himself. Or to Kagome apparently." His eyes traveled over her bleeding body. She turned away, as if to shield herself from his gaze.

"What are you trying to say?" She asked.

"He has tricked himself into believing that he knows best and that he knows what he wants and yet he doesn't bother to consult his heart. As you can see I am greatly wounded, but I'm sure you figured I would be because of what happened in the past. If something is not done then I will break again only this time it will be permanent, there will be no Kagome there to heal me." He sank to the ground as he talked, his back to a tree. The girl walked over and kneeled beside him. She reached out and gently touched his face with her hand but felt nothing. He gave her a questioning look.

"I know that the only thing I can sense is what she senses but I had to try." She explained. "Kagome is not like he is. She is very much aware of her feelings toward him and aches to be close to him."

"Then these wounds of yours represent all the times he has hurt her?" He asked and she nodded. "I expected some, but not this many."

"She cares very deeply."

"Then my plan is all the more necessary."

"What do you mean plan?" She asked giving him a suspicious look.

"As you well know, the connection we have with our human counterparts, host, whatever you want to call them is a very much a one way street. We can talk to them, guide them, and reveal to them their own being, but only as much as they will let us. Like I said earlier, Inuyasha rarely gives me a chance to speak to him any more and because of it we are both suffering. And so something must be done and since they aren't doing it we'll have to." He said, his amber eyes full of fire.

"What do you mean us? There is nothing we can do?" There was a pause and then she turned his face so that he was looking at her. "You're not actually thinking of-"

"Going down there?" He finished her question. "Yes."

"But that's madness!" She shouted flying to her feet. "What if something happened why we're down there?"

"They can't hurt us." He reminded her.

"Oh sure, they can't cut us into pieces with their swords but on the other hand, these wounds we bare will become all the more real. Here we all have wounds like this and worse and can still live. Sure there's pain but we don't die from it. But if we go down there then these wounds can and will become fatal. Look at the state we're in. Neither one of us would last very long." He looked away from her but she pulled him to his feet and forced him to look into her eyes. "And what if they were to start fighting while we're down there? These wounds would become worse and we would surely die. And then they would die with us. For as long as we are here, we can be broken and shattered into a million pieces but they will go on living, but down there the rules all change."

"I know." He said cupping her cheek with one hand even though neither one could feel the touch. "But we'll die anyway if we don't do something. We'll chose a night when they have been getting along and our wounds are at a minimum. We will go to him one at a time and confront him with both sides of the situation. We'll force him to listen. Do you want to go on living in this pain or settle this once and for all?" She looked at him for a moment longer before breaking the contact and walking a few feet away. She bit her lip in concentration as she stared out into the fog. There were several minutes of silence before she turned back to him.

"All right." She stated. "But I go first."

"No, it was my idea and if something were to go wrong-"

"No, it's better this way." She cut him off. "Let him see what he's done to her then he'll be more open to listen to his own heart." He sighed. She was right. But then she was the Καρδιά of Kagome and Kagome was usually right about this sort of thing.

"Then there is nothing left to do now but wait for the right time." He said returning to his position at the base of the tree. She sat down next to him silently. There were several minutes of silence before he looked up and saw her smiling at him.

"What?" He asked.

"Being here with you makes me happy." She said. "I only wish I could send this feeling to Kagome, but alas, it doesn't work that way."

"If it did then we would have solved our problems a long time ago," He snorted. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"You belong to Inuyasha alright." At this he just snorted again and settled into a more comfortable situation for what could be a very long wait.

**A/N: Well? Good, bad? Let me know. And if you have any questions send them along too!**


	2. Καρδιά Kagome Confronts Inuyasha

**Sorry it took so long to get chapter 2 out but my account was messed up! I hope you enjoy and review!**

**FrillingFreak**

**Καρδιά Kagome Confronts Inuyasha**

It was a clear, brilliant night in Feudal Japan that found Inuyasha fidgeting absent-mindedly in his look out point in a tree. On the ground below him, his friends slept peacefully. His eyes passed over them and came to rest on the one to the left. She shifted slightly in her sleep and let out a small sigh. His ears twitched at the sound. He watched Kagome sleep for a few more minutes before taking off silently into the woods.

When he came to a clearing he stopped. He sat down on a log and stared into the night sky. They had been traveling for some time without a sign of a jewel shard or Naraku. It was extremely frustrating for the hanyou who did not like being inactive for very long. And now Kagome had to go home again. He huffed. He couldn't see why she had to go home. How could these tests possibly be more important then destroying Naraku? Or helping him put the jewel back together? And besides it was extremely boring during her absences. Even when they were fighting she kept things interesting.

Several minutes passed in quiet contemplation. Then the wind changed directions and brought with it the scent of….

His blood ran cold and he thought his heart would stop. Blood. Lots of blood. Kagome's blood.

He flew to his feet and turned, prepared to rush into the forest and to her aid, only to find her standing at the edge of the woods watching him.

"Kagome?" He rushed to her. Her whole body was covered in cuts and blooded marred her white dress.

"What happened? Who did this?" He demanded his voice dangerously angry. "Tell me so I can rip them to pieces!"

"You did." She answered quietly, stepping out into the moonlight.

"What?" his face paled.

"You asked who did this to me and I told you." She answered. "You did this. Well most of it at least."

"What are you talking about?" He asked, fear penetrated his voice. "You were fine just a minute ago and I'm pretty sure I would remember doing this."

"But you did." She assured him. She went to step closer to him but almost collapsed from blood loss. He quickly scooped her up and sat her down on the log. It was then he noticed the strange letter on her forehead.

"What's that?" He asked pointing to the lettering. "Does it have something to do with all these cuts?"

"It is what I am, Inuyasha." She answered looking up at him with adoration in her blue eyes.

"Wait a minute," He took a step back and looked at her again. "You're not Kagome."

"I am Καρδιά Kagome." She said.

"What the hell does that mean?" He raged. He was getting angry fast. This woman had pretended to be Kagome for some reason and he wanted to know why and now.

"Καρδιά means heart." She told him. "I am the living embodiment of Kagome's heart."

"WHAT?" He shouted. "Okay, who are you and what are you up to?"

"It is true. I am Kagome's heart." She insisted. "Use your demon senses and you will know that I am no imposter. Besides I have no reason to lie to you." He glared at her for a minute before carefully sniffing the air again. It was Kagome's smell all right, there was no underlying magic that would suggest a forgery.

"Keep talking." Inuyasha commanded, refusing to show that he maybe, just maybe, was beginning to believe her.

"Everyone who lives here, in your world, has a Καρδιά. We live in a world apart and our lives are shaped by the emotions and feelings of our human, demon, or in your case hanyou, counter parts. Whenever our counter parts are hurt emotionally, then we are hurt physically. When they become happy or joyful they our wounds heal." She explained. "We do not usually come to your world because of the dangers it hold for both us and our counterparts, but I could not sit by and wait for you to break me beyond repair."

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha asked, his voice a low whisper. His breath was raspy and his hand shook slightly. He didn't really want to know for he feared he would not like the answer but something compelled him to ask.

"Every time you are mean to her, treat her like she is nothing but a shard collector, when you act as if she does not matter to you, it hurts her and therefore hurts me." The woman before him explained, her eyes downcast. "But what hurts her more then any of that is all the times you abandon her for Kikyou. The large gashes you see here are from those times." She pointed to several deep wounds that reached across her stomach.

"But I…I didn't…" Inuyasha started but couldn't continue for fear he would vomit from looking at the nasty wounds he had caused.

"You must choose." The girl looked up at him with pain and love in her blue eyes. "You can not have both Kagome and Kikyou. You must choose and make your choice clear to all so that if you should choose…Kikyou…Kagome will be able to find some other way to heal her broken heart besides waiting for you to show her some kindness. So she can try and move on." Silent tears began to stream down her cheeks while she spoke and Inuyasha itched to wipe them away.

"Though to be honest," She continued. "I do not think Kagome will ever be able to love another. For I am filled with such a strong love for you that being here with you is excruciating ecstasy." Inuyasha sank to the ground before her. His eyes were shaded by his bangs but shook slightly with the tears he fought not to shed.

"I don't want to hurt Kagome." He whispered. "But how can I give Kikyou up? I cannot erase what has been between us." He looked up at her and wished he hadn't. He could see the pain written across her face. His words about Kikyou had hurt her. He looked away. This was Kagome's heart and he had hurt it. Again.

"So you see, I don't know how to choose." He added. She sighed and he dared to peak at her from the corner of his eyes and found her staring into the distance.

"We figured as much." She said sadly. It was obvious that his indecision was causing her great pain.

"We?" Inuyasha perked up and looked around warily.

"Kagome is not the only one who has suffered from your actions." She said in a pained voice.

"Kikyou?" Inuyasha asked warily.

"No. Kikyou is dead and therefore has no Καρδιά." She told him. "It is someone else."

"Who?" Inuyasha asked.

"You will find out soon." She smiled slightly at his curiosity. "But I must go now before these wounds over come me." She stood up on unsteady legs.

"What? Are the wounds deadly?" Inuyasha asked rushing to steady her.

"Normally they are not. Where we live, we can live with all sorts of physical wounds. They are painful but we do not die from them. We do not die until our counter parts die." She explained leaning heavily on his arm. "But in this world they become deadly. And as you can see I am even now steadily approaching death." He looked down at her once white dress that was now almost completely covered in blood. She gave his arm one last squeeze before walking slowly away from him.

"Wait!" He called out to her. "Shouldn't we try to bandage the wounds then?"

"I already told you that my wounds cannot be healed that way." She stopped and turned halfway around to look at him. "If I do not leave soon, I will die and Kagome with me." At this Inuyasha grew incredibly pale.

"Once I return home then we will both be out of immediate danger." She said before turning back around and continuing to walk. "Wait here. Another will come."

"Who?" He shouted after.

"You will see soon enough." She answered. "Until then think of what I have said." And with that she disappeared in a swirl of white leaving Inuyasha alone once again to contemplate this new turn of events and await his next visitor.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed and please review!**


	3. Καρδιά Inuyasha Confronts Inuyasha

**Sorry it took so long but I've been super busy! Not much to say just hope you enjoy and review!**

**Disclaimer: I, sadly, do not own Inuyasha. But I do own the plot!**

**Καρδιά Inuyasha Confronts Inuyasha**

Inuyasha sat on the log thinking of the conversation he had just had with the woman that had claimed to be Kagome's heart. The horrible image of her damaged and bloody body haunted him. Could he have really have done that to Kagome? Sweet Kagome who stood by his side no matter what. The thought made him sick. But then how could he let Kikyou go? She had been his everything once. He couldn't just throw that out the window. She was still an important part of him.

He looked toward the stars hoping to find an answer there but found only distant twinkling lights.

"You will have to make this decision on your own." A voice from behind broke through his thoughts. Inuyasha jumped to his feet and whirled around prepared to fight. But nothing could have prepared him for what he saw standing before him. When he turned around he came face to face with himself.

"WHAT THE HE-" Inuyasha yelled but was cut off.

"Calm yourself." The mirror image said. "Take a closer look." It was then Inuyasha noticed the differences in the other man. His body was covered in many gashes and wounds, the most noticeable being an old scar on the side of his face and a newer, larger wound that ran from his left shoulder to his right hip. Blood was already starting to seep through his white kimono from the wound. On his forehead was the word Καρδιά.

"Oh…so…you're my…"

"Heart." The Καρδιά finished Inuyasha's sentence for him. "Yes. Let me guess, you weren't expecting me?"

"No actually I was expecting Kikyou." Inuyasha admitted as he shifted nervously away from the figure in front of him.

"I believe the Καρδιά of Kagome already told you that Kikyou has no Καρδιά because she is dead." The Καρδιά reminded him.

"Oh, yeah…" Inuyasha scratched the back of his neck and looked away, embarrassed.

"So, uh, what do you know, want to talk about?" Inuyasha asked. It was very clear that he was extremely uncomfortable.

"It has been a while since we have spoken." The figure admitted. "You've been to "busy" to consult me."

"Well, you know, searching for the jewel shards and all." Inuyasha fumbled for an excuse.

"Searching for the jewel shards has nothing to do with me." The figure reprimanded. "You stopped talking to me because you were afraid of what I would tell you. You believed that ignoring your feelings will some how make them go away but in reality it only hinders you and causes pain." Inuyasha didn't know how to respond. If he'd had any doubts before about the validity of all this, they were now put to rest. This man, this being, was indeed his heart. Inuyasha could not just hear his voice but feel it deep down inside of himself. He used to ignore this voice but now he could not for the voice was here and staring him in the face.

"Aren't you in the least bit curious?" The figure prodded. "You must have a few questions at least."

"Yeah, actually, I do." Inuyasha snapped out of his revere. "The cuts, what are they from?"

"This old one on my face is from when mother died." The figure said, his visage sad. "As you can see, it has healed but there will always be a scar. That's what you get when you love someone but that doesn't mean that it's not worth it in the long run." Inuyasha frowned and looked away. The figure sighed and continued.

"And this large, nasty one is from Kikyou." The figure winced as he changed positions to allow Inuyasha a better view of how horrible the wound really was. "As you can see, it is a deadly wound and would have left me permanently manned me had Kagome not come along."

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked. "What about her?"

"Kagome's kindness toward you and the feelings that began to bud between the two of you slowly healed this wound. The wound would be nothing more then a scar now had you not refused to let Kikyou go." The figure continued.

"Let her go? SHE CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD!" Inuyasha protested. "How could let her go when she was right in front of me?"

"She may have been brought back to life but she was not the same Kikyou that you fell in love with." The figure explained. "Even you must have noticed that she was not the kind and caring woman she once was. After all the only reason she continued to live after Kagome retracted her soul was to get revenge upon you. She is a being whose very life his is fueled by hatred. She is only a poor excuse for the woman you once loved."

"How can you say that?" Inuyasha flew to his feet in rage. "How can you say that about Kikyou?"

"If you would stop to think about it, you would find that it is true."

"Kikyou, Kagome. How am I supposed to choose?" Inuyasha asked. "And why now? Why do I have to choose now?"

"Because if you do not choose now it will be to late." The figure growled. "I cannot go on like this forever. There is a point at which these wounds will become irreparable. And you must think of Kagome also. She cannot handle much more of this either."

"Ugh! You're frustrating." Inuyasha grumbled.

"Well if you had been listening to me all along we wouldn't have this problem now would we?" Inuyasha's Καρδιά pointed out.

"Feh, whatever." Was Inuyasha's only response.

"And besides you must realize that just like you need someone to help you heal your wounds so does Kagome. And if you refuse to be that person then she may look else where. Say Koga perhaps." The Καρδιά pointed out.

"WHAT?" Inuyasha went through the roof. "KOGA? That mangy wolf better not come near her!"

"You miss my point. What if she goes in search of him?"

"Huh?" Inuyasha's anger was replaced with a child like fear. "She wouldn't do that. Would she?"

"If you keep pushing her away she just might." Though the Καρδιά decided not to reveal that Kagome's own heart had said she harbored no romantic feelings for the wolf demon. Perhaps fear of losing Kagome would make him open up his eyes and face his own feelings.

"And then there's always that kid from her time. What's his name? Hobo?" Hey if we're going to make him scared to lose her why not make him terrified? "From what I can tell he seems to like her and is very good to her."

"He's a wus." Inuyasha said with a pout. "Kagome would never go for a loser like him."

"Well then you'd better do something about it or you'll lose her, and this," He placed his hand over the long and nasty wound. "will never heal."

"I don't know. I just don't know." Inuyasha said, his eyes downcast.

"Well you need to figure it out and fast." The Καρδιά said. "For now I must go. I have already staid to long." He slowly stood to his feet, blood dripping from his wounds. "I guess I just missed our conversations with each other." He turned around and began to walk away.

"Then maybe we'll have to have them more often." Inuyasha said with a small grin. "Only we'll have to have them the normal way."

"I'd like that." The figure looked over his shoulder and smiled at Inuyasha. "But for now you've got some things to think about. You must consider what love is. Does Kikyou idealize love by wanting to take you to hell or Kagome by wanting you to live and be happy?"

"You just love making my decision harder then it already is don't you?" Inuyasha asked.

"The decision is easy. You just have to be willing to make it." And with that he was gone and Inuyasha was once again left alone with his thoughts.

**A/N: GAAA! Who will Inuyasha chose? Our favorite hanyou has one tough decision to make doesn't he? **

**Review please!**


	4. Inuyasha Confronts Himself

**Hey everybody! Thanks for all the wonderful review they made me so extremely happy! Sorry it took so long to update but I've been super buzy. In fact, I'm supposed to be writing an english essay right now but oh well! You guys are worth it!**

**Disclaimer: We all know that I don't own Inuyasha but I do own a bar of chocolate that I'm fixing to eat!**

**Inuyasha Confronts Himself**

Inuyasha sat in the field, plucking absentmindedly at the grass. Kikyou, Kagome. Kagome, Kikyou. GAAAAA! He couldn't just pick one! Well that's a lie. Once, a while back, he had decided on Kikyou, but in the end, Kagome had chosen to stay with him anyway. He remembered clearly the great wave of relief that had washed over him when she said she wanted to stay with him. A few moments before he thought he was going to have to tell her goodbye and never see her again. Just that thought made him feel empty inside. And he was even closer to Kagome now then he had been back then and he knew that he could never send her away, even if he wanted to. She was too much a part of him just to throw it all away.

But Kikyou, he couldn't forget Kikyou. He still remembered the days before Naraku, when they were first beginning to fall in love and things seemed so simple. He remembered clearly how his heart would race whenever she was near, how his mind would become a muddled mess and he couldn't think clearly. He couldn't forget all that. He couldn't just go back on is word to go to hell with her. Could he? But if Kikyou truly loved him wouldn't she want him to live? Or did she think that their life together could never be what they had once dreamed it could and just wanted to be with him, even in death?

Kikyou who wanted to be with him in death or Kagome who wanted to be with him in life? Becoming a monk was looking better and better by the minute.

There was Kagome who was always there for him and did everything in her power to keep him safe and happy. And there was Kikyou who was only around when she wanted something. But she always seemed happy to see him in her own weird way, that had to mean something.

Then of course there was the fact that Kikyou had tried to kill Kagome before and left her in the clutches of a demon more then once. He had always wondered why she seemed to hate Kagome but had never gotten up the nerve to ask her. To be honest he was a little afraid to ask her, afraid of what she might say. But still she had no excuse to want to kill Kagome. Unless something had happened that he didn't know about. He thought back to all the times he had been around Kikyou and Kagome together or the times when Kikyou had talked of Kagome. She had always seemed a bit resentful of Kagome and referred to her as "that girl" or "this girl," or, "reincarnation." Was she jealous of Kagome? Had she suspected that something was going on between the two of them. But maybe she had just been holding Kagome over his head to make him feel guilty. Had she been trying to make him feel obligated to follow her to hell? Or was she simply jealous of all the time he spent with Kagome?

On the other hand, Kagome had helped Kikyou on many occasions. That was Kagome for you. She always had to help, even if the other person would have left her there to rot. That was one of the reasons he liked her so much. She was his opposite in so many ways. She pushed him to change just by being herself. She had been the first person beside his mother who had excepted him as a hanyou and liked him that way. How many times had she told him she liked him just the way he was? To many to count it seems.

And he was hurting her. He was hurting Kagome. His stomach churned at the thought. Why had she stuck by him when he caused her so much pain? He couldn't understand it at all.

Inuyasha sat laid back on the grass and rubbed his fore head with one hand. All this thinking was giving him a headache and he still hadn't gotten anywhere. What was he going to do? He pondered the last couple of hours, replaying the conversations he'd had with the two Καρδιά. His heart. That was it! He had gotten into this mess because he had tried to use his mind and his pride instead of just listening to his heart.

Taking a deep breathe, he allowed all logic to leave him and for once in his life didn't try to stifle his human emotions but instead let them fill his very being. He began to rethink the situation, this time weighing each side with his feelings not logic. In less then five minutes it became very clear to him what his heart wanted, what it had always wanted. A smile crept across his face. How stupid could he have been? It was plain as day, if he hadn't been such a dope he would have seen it a long time ago.

He stood to his feet and brushed the dirt off his clothes with an air of finality.

"So you're the one?" He asked the wind as he stared into the distance. "You're the one I long for. You're the one I love." And with that he took off into the woods to find the woman that filled his heart to the brim and caused this feeling of love to overflow like a waterfall that cleansed his mind and soul.

**A/N: I wonder who he's going to choose? Kagome or Kikyou? Oh the anticipation!**

**Review please!**


	5. Inuyasha Confronts His Love

**AAAH! So sorry it's late! Please forgive me! Thank you very much to everyone (Alex,Miko no Kize, sesshykun'sgal, Annie, C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only, enriya, and Inume) ****who reviewed! Before I go on I would like to answer a question about why I decided to use the Greek word, **Καρδιά**, for heart instead of using the Japanese word. The following is an explanation I sent to **Inume**, who asked me the question:**

_I used greek instead of Japanese because I didn't want the idea to be limited just to the japanese.Hence everyone has a Καρδιά. I wanted to use a very old language like latin originally but didn't like any of the latin words for heart. Plus the greeks were into mythology big time and it sounds like something that could be found in one of their stories. The background I used to help with the story was the idea that a greek was one of the first to people to ever meet theirΚαρδιά and therefor were the first to give them and a name and it just stuck._

**I hope that makes sense to you guys. Just let me know if you have another question.**

**Now on with the next and final chapter!**

**RECAP:**

"So you're the one?" He asked the wind as he stared into the distance. "You're the one I long for. You're the one I love." And with that he took off into the woods to find the woman that filled his heart to the brim and caused this feeling of love to overflow like a waterfall that cleansed his mind and soul.

**Inuyasha confronts His Love.**

Meanwhile back at camp Kagome had just awoken from a restless sleep. She rubbed her eyes and peered groggily around the camp, searching for what had caused her to awaken. At first she found nothing out of place but when she looked up she saw something that made her heart jump. Inuyasha's perch was empty.

Carefully, she got up, making sure she didn't wake up the sleeping fox demon that slept next to her, and walked over and peered out into the woods. _Where could he have gone to this late at night? Maybe he had sensed a demon and gone to check it out. Gaa! That idiot, he should know better then to go after a demon by himself!_

_But what if it wasn't a demon? What if it was…Kikyou? _Kagome felt her chest tighten at the thought of Inuyasha rushing into the arms of the lovely miko. She chewed her lip nervously as she tried to decide whether or not to go looking for him. She didn't want to come upon him with Kikyou again, she didn't know if she could handle that. But then again she didn't want to leave him to fight some demon by himself. In the end she opted to go searching for him and picked up her bow and arrows and quietly crept into the woods.

She walked silently but swiftly for several minutes, praying she was going in the right direction. There was flash of movement and a crack of leaves in front of her. She froze, arrow ready to fly at the first sign of danger. But what happened next she did not expect. A flash of red rushed at her from deep in the woods and before she could do anything she was lifted off the ground into a rib-cracking hug. She instinctively tensed but relaxed when she saw the familiar silver hair and adorable ears.

"Inuyasha?" She asked. "What's wrong?"

"Kagome…" He mumbled into her shoulder. Kagome's mind began to whirl. What was going on? Why was Inuyasha acting so strange? He was hugging her and he never hugged her unless something bad had happened to her. And she couldn't remember any near death experiences in the recent past. And suddenly, as a thousand thoughts were racing through her mind, one thing stopped all thought in a split second. Inuyasha was….nuzzling her neck. Any coherent thoughts she had were silenced at the feeling of the soft skin of his cheek and lips brushing against her neck.

Inuyasha felt her body go limp in his arms as she moved her head to allow him better access. He inhaled deeply, her smell like a drug to his senses. Her soft skin a treat he had never allowed himself to enjoy before.

"Inu..Inuyasha?" Kagome asked in a quiet whisper. "What's going on? I don't understand?" Inuyasha pulled back and looked into Kagome's eyes. They were full of want, pain, confusion, and hesitancy. She was scared of him, of what he was going to say, of being hurt again. She probably thought he'd been with Kikyou again and this was his way of apologizing.

"Inuyasha please say something." Kagome begged, her voice trembling.

"Kagome, I wasn't with Kikyou if that's what your thinking." Inuyasha said quickly causing Kagome to relax. "I just needed to think, needed some air."

"But why…why did you hold me like that?" Kagome asked.

"Well, when I was out thinking I kind of, I guess you could say, had a heart conversation with, well, my heart and I realized some things and well, um…." Inuyasha trailed off nervously as began to fiddle with his sleeve, hoping Kagome would fill in the rest. But not even Kagome, smart as she was, could fill in that very large gap.

"Realized what?" Kagome prodded quietly.

"Some things about you and Kikyou."

"Oh." Kagome said softly, her demeanor fallen. "I'm sorry that I'm not as good a fighter as her."

"What?" Inuyasha asked thrown off by her statement. "I didn't even think about that to tell you the truth. Not that it matters to me anyway."

"Really? You don't care that I'm not as strong as the others?" Kagome asked.

"Na," Inuyasha huffed. "Just because you're not physically strong doesn't mean that you're weak. In fact I think you're the strongest out of all of us. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have lasted this long. You've been through so much and yet remained so strong and remained there for the rest of us through it all."

"Thank you Inuyasha." Kagome said softly. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

"It's the least I could do after all I put you through." Inuyasha added quietly.

"What?" Kagome asked, slightly confused.

"Kagome, while I was thinking earlier, it occurred to me that the whole time we've known each other I've been a bit of a jerk to you." Inuyasha nervously glanced around, doing anything to avoid looking Kagome in the eye. He wasn't used to making confessions like this, it went against his very nature. "You've always been so nice to me and I've just taken advantage of that kindness time and time again. I'm sorry. Sorry for hurting you over and over again."

"Inuyasha…." Kagome was stunned. Inuyasha was apologizing to her and she wasn't even sure why. "What happened? I mean this is very nice and all but it isn't like you."

"I realized earlier that I've been denying a part of my self. Sort of locking it inside." Inuyasha began. "I thought it made me weak, would slow me down. But by ignoring a part of myself, I was only hurting myself even worse. And then I asked myself. "What's so bad about this part of you? If you want something go get it." After all I apply that concept to the rest of my life why not to the matters of the heart. And so I decided not to hold back anymore, to no longer be ashamed of…." Inuyasha trailed off as he looked up to find Kagome staring blankly at him. Without realizing it Inuyasha had begun pacing back and forth, throwing his hands around for emphasize. "Kagome? Are you alright?"

"Could you translate that for me?" She asked in a daze. "I'm not really sure I understand what you're trying to say."

Inuyasha growled in frustration. He had never been good with words but he was pretty sure his previous speech had been fairly understandable but the look on Kagome's face said other wise. Well, if he couldn't talk her into understanding then he'd just have to try another tactic. He took several timid steps toward her and then, much to her surprise, grabbed her arms and pulled her to him. Kagome started to protest but was stopped when his lips met hers. Her mind went totally blank and she just stood there, in total shock. Before she had time to register what had happened, Inuyasha pulled back, his eyes soft and hazy.

"My heart." He whispered in a husky voice as he gently stroked her cheek with one hand. "I've been denying my heart the one thing it's always longed for, _you._ I love you Kagome, I've always loved you. I've just been too much of a idiot to realize it. Can you every forgive me for making you wait this long?"

"In…Inuyasha." Kagome whispered as tears streamed down her face. "Are you being serious? Oh please tell me you're being serious because if you're not I don't think I could bear it."

"Kagome I have never known anything to be more true then this; I love you with my whole heart, life, soul, and mind. I'm not going to hurt you anymore, I promise." Inuyasha said while closing the distance between them again.

"Oh, Inuyasha." Kagome said with a small smile and dancing eyes. "I know this sounds silly but I'm so happy I could dance to the stars and back again."

"Don't even think about it." Inuyasha said his eyes never leaving hers. "I just found you and I don't want to lose you again."

"I never went anywhere, you did." Kagome reminded him.

"I know. But I don't plan on ever leaving your side again. I finally admitted my feeling for you and to lose you now would beyond any physical pain that could ever be inflicted on me." By now their faces where only inches apart and they were both breathing heavily and their eyes were filled with expectation.

"Then stay with me." Kagome pleaded. "Let's be happy…together."

"Yes, together." Inuyasha whispered as his lips once again claimed hers. Only this time she didn't just stand there, she responded with all the love that she had been carrying in her heart for a very long time. And there was silence in the woods once more as two hearts became one.

In the world of white and fog beyond this one, two figures stood watching what transpired. The gashes and wounds that covered their bodies began to heal at amazing speeds. The blue-eyed girl looked up at the taller man with a smile. His amber eyes danced as helooked down at her.

"Looks like your idea worked." She said, breaking the silence.

"Yes." He smirked. Then, as if driven by some unknown force, he reached out and took her hand. She jumped. Not because she was scared, but because he had touched her….and she had felt it. And he had to, he could feel her smooth skin against his own and she could feel his rough but gentle fingers stroking her the back of her hand. For the first time in their life, they were experiencing the wonder of touch. Not just the touch of skin to skin but also the touch of soul to soul.

He smiled and gripped her hand softly but firmly in his own and turned toward the woods.

"Shall we go?" He asked her. She returned his smile with one of her own and nodded. And so they disappeared into the mist, hand in hand for now until all eternity.

**THE END**

**WELL? Did I end it good? I'm not sure... let me know what you think. And what do you think of the story as a whole?**


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